Bad sector?

[Werner Ganz]

I may be posting to the wrong newsgroup.Please forgive, if so.
Dell 2400Dimension with an 80 gigs HD has developed a bad "something" Bad
sector? Bad Block
The only reason I know this is that Acronis (good backup program) stops
with the warning that it could not copy a detected bad sector. I have to
manually intervene to let it disregard that block. A nuisance, if you run
the backup during the night.

Are there ways to either clear bad sector or disable it?

Thanks

Werner

 

[Rich Barry]

Werner, have you tried rt clicking the Hard Drive Icon in MyComputer and
selecting
Properties>Tools>Error Checking-- check now. Restart and let the check
do it's job.
Also, check here
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/29

 

[Guest]

I may be posting to the wrong newsgroup.Please forgive, if so.
Dell 2400Dimension with an 80 gigs HD has developed a bad "something" Bad
sector? Bad Block
The only reason I know this is that Acronis (good backup program) stops
with the warning that it could not copy a detected bad sector. I have to
manually intervene to let it disregard that block. A nuisance, if you run
the backup during the night.

Are there ways to either clear bad sector or disable it?

Thanks

Werner

Open a run command and type in:
chkdsk /r click [OK]
or run the Check disk on Start Up, and the check disk will right off or
repair or mark this Bad sector.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I may be posting to the wrong newsgroup.Please forgive, if so.

Really it's a hardware issue but is easy to answer: Replace the disk as
soon as you can.

Dell 2400Dimension with an 80 gigs HD has developed a bad "something" Bad
sector? Bad Block

Bad disk that needs replacement, soonest. The drive is starting to fail
and these do *not* heal.

At best, you can find utilities to move the data and mark the block as bad
and usuable. However, those utilities are holdovers from when disks were
expensive. Where I am, an 80 gig drive is CDN$40.

I'd bet that the data on the system is worth more to you than $40.

The only reason I know this is that Acronis (good backup program) stops
with the warning that it could not copy a detected bad sector. I have to
manually intervene to let it disregard that block. A nuisance, if you run
the backup during the night.

And it will be way more than a nuisance when you realize that the data held
there is corrupt and unreadable.

Are there ways to either clear bad sector or disable it?

There are utilities to move the data and mark the sector as unsable, but
again, they are from times when disks were expensive, and again, this error
means the drive is wearing out.

You're going to have to replace it anyway. Get the new disk while the
problem is less serious; you have Acronis on it now, so just attach the disk
and clone it to the new one. Then shut down, remove the old disk and put
the new one in its place and restart. Set the old disk aside. You'll be
done in under an hour and you will have effectively addressed the problem.

Thanks

Werner

And BTW it's really not a good idea to post your phone number to Usenet!

HTH
-pk

 

[Guest]

Windows can attempt to repair it,one open cmd,type:CHKDSK C: /R Agree
to restart,type:EXIT Restart pc.Or,boot to xp cd,recovery,type the same,C:
being hd with bad sector(s)..In all,download the disk checker utility from
the
hd mfg web site (MS-DOS version),install to floppy,boot to floppy,test the
hd,
95% of the time if windows fixes it,youre probably due soon for a new one...

 

[Poprivet]

Really it's a hardware issue but is easy to answer: Replace the
disk as soon as you can.

<snip?

Not necessarily. The only real requisite is to backup data soon, which is
something everyone should do anyway.

IF the number of bad sectors changes (increases) with time, THEN the drive
is headed south for sure. But, if that sector has been damaged for a long
time and just now "discovered" by an app, and more bad sectors aren't
appearing, then the drive will be fine. A lot of things other than a
failing drive can cause a bad sector or four.
The important thing is to check the health of the disk periodically to be
sure the number of bad sectors is not growing. Chkdsk /r marks sectors as
"bad" so they won't be used. If that number remains the same for say a
month, then relax; just do your backups per schedule as you normally would.
Also, your disk mfr very likely has a free disk-health app for making a
detailed analysis of your disk: If THAT says the disk is going bad, then
get it backed up and replaced. If it says it's healthy, just keep an eye on
it for a month or so, and then relax unless you're looking for an excuse to
get a larger hard drive anyway<G>.
My current boot drive developed 4 bad sectors about a year ago: and
hasn't changed in that way since. Mfr Diagnostics pronounce it happy and
healthy. I watched it for a month, then relaxed.

If you're not doing backups regularly, then a bad sector is the least of
your problems.

Pop`

 

[NoConsequence]

I may be posting to the wrong newsgroup.Please forgive, if so.
Dell 2400Dimension with an 80 gigs HD has developed a bad "something" Bad
sector? Bad Block
The only reason I know this is that Acronis (good backup program) stops
with the warning that it could not copy a detected bad sector. I have to
manually intervene to let it disregard that block. A nuisance, if you run
the backup during the night.

Are there ways to either clear bad sector or disable it?

Thanks

Werner

You are correct, this IS in the wrong newsgroup.

Ask elsewhere

 

[Poprivet]

You are correct, this IS in the wrong newsgroup.

Ask elsewhere

Instead of being a rude A-hole, try suggesting another, better group if
that's what you think. Help such as yours isn't help; it's just bitching
for no reason.

 

[NoConsequence]

Instead of being a rude A-hole, try suggesting another, better group if
that's what you think. Help such as yours isn't help; it's just bitching
for no reason.

A hardware group? The OP should do their OWN research. I refuse to
spoof feed ANYBODY as by doing that they don't learn to do things on
their own.

 

[Plato]

I may be posting to the wrong newsgroup.Please forgive, if so.
Dell 2400Dimension with an 80 gigs HD has developed a bad "something" Bad
sector? Bad Block

Bad sectors have to be marked bad in order for Windows not to write to
them. If you are deveoping bad sectors, then its time for a new hard
drive.